No Place Like Home
by PerkyGoth14
Summary: Two best friends are given an assignment about writing a story for their class, feeling uninspired. However, something strange happens and they are introduced to the Land of Oz.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Based on an RP with AnnaleaseTurner, we only own our OC's, mine went through several name changes such as Judy after Judy Garland, Liza, after Liza Menelli, Judy Garland's daughter, Janet, after my 'grandmother's' daughter, and Ruby as in ruby slippers. Anyway, read & review!**

* * *

><p>Years after a young girl named Dorothy Gale had left her home in Kansas with her new family of her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, she had become a mother eventually. She was very thrilled to become a mother herself after not really knowing her own mother and vowed to be a great parent and remembered some of what her aunt and uncle did with raising her and her parents before they mysteriously vanished from her life.<p>

She had a daughter named Ruby who was a lot like her mother when she was younger. There was also a girl who was friends with Ruby. She had curly brown hair, green eyes and liked to wear dresses. Her name was Diana and was a good friend. She had a pet duckling that always rode on her shoulder.

"Breakfast!" an adult woman's voice rang to the young girls as they were outside doing quick chores.

"Wanna stay for breakfast?" Ruby asked her good friend.

Diana nodded. "If that's alright with Aunty Dorothy." she says, almost shyly.

Ruby made a gesture for one minute, then went to speak with her mother. She then smiled to her and went back to Diana, looking excited. "Sure, you're always welcome to stay with us!"

Diana smiled sweetly and followed inside. Her parents wouldn't mind as they were usually busy during the day.

* * *

><p>Ruby came in with Diana. Even a piglet was following them inside the house.<p>

Diana petted her pet duckling. "Crust of bread, Quiver?" She asks the duckling.

Quiver quacked his agreement. Ruby giggled at the duckling, she thought he sounded cute when he would quack.

Dorothy smiled at her daughter and young friend as she nearly finished up some of the cooking for them. She let the eggs sit a minute, then she took out a piece of bread for the duckling. "Here you go, Quiver."

Diana set the duck down to eat. Quiver quacked happily. He started to eat happily. Ruby still giggled. Dorothy smiled, still catering to their breakfast. Diana giggled and broke the bread up for Quiver

"A duckling for a pet," Dorothy sighed. "I remember when I was younger and Uncle Henry gave me Toto."

Ruby smiled at her mother's stories, she always loved hearing about them. Diana looked up at her. She too was interested.

"I felt very lonely one day on the farm since there wasn't really anyone there my own age," Dorothy said as she came to serve them their breakfast. "I was also told from Uncle Henry what had happened to my mother and I was just lost and sad for a while... Then he came to me one day and brought me Toto. He wasn't a big strong dog like Aunt Em wanted to help for the farm, but he became my best friend."

Diana grinned happily.

"Toto's the greatest." Ruby smiled at her mother.

"Yes, he is," Dorothy smiled. "He might have been small, but his love and loyalty to me was big... Even if old Miss Gulch didn't like him very much..."

Diana turled a curl around her finger. She was interested.

Dorothy served them, then herself and sat with them. She then sighed as she heard begging under the table. "Now, Toto II, it's not nice to beg..."

The pet kept begging otherwise.

"Oh, alright..." Dorothy gave in, took off a piece of her toast, then put it under the table, only to show that a piglet had been begging for the food. "Honestly, that pig acts just like a dog, are you sure you're raising him right, Ruby?"

"Yes, Mama." Ruby giggled.

Diana giggled. "Yes, he's a nice piggy though." she says, eating a little.

Quiver came waddling over.

"That he is." Dorothy smiled.

Toto II snorted, then ate some of his food, but shared with Quiver. Ruby smiled at the pig. Quiver hopped on Toto II's back. Diana giggled. Dorothy ate her food and couldn't help but look at and smile at the cute display. It was a 'ducky piggy back ride'. Toto II walked all around with Quiver on his back.

Quiver flapped his wings happily. "Quack, quack!" He exclaims.

Diana giggled so much, that she fell off her seat.

Ruby giggled, then saw Diana. "Oh, are you okay?"

Dorothy had to find this to be one of the most entertaining breakfast mornings she ever had. Quiver tilted his head. Diana was on the floor, giggling.

"So, what's going on in school?" Dorothy asked once they all settled themselves after the possible highlight of all their day.

"We have to write a story about something, it can be something from our imagination or a true story..." Ruby said softly, she felt totally uninspired.

"I don't know what to write either." Diana admits, once settled from her giggles.

Quiver hopped off Toto II and climbed on her forehead.

Dorothy giggled a bit more at the animals in the kitchen. "How about your pets?" she suggested.

"Feels a little overdone..." Ruby said, though she hugged Toto II and thought he was the best pet ever, writing about an animal you adopted felt like it had been done before too many times in school writing assignments for her age.

Quiver ruffled his feathers. Diana giggled, cupping her pet in her hands and kissed his beak.

"I'm sure it'll come to you, it'll just hit you... Like a window to the head..." Dorothy phrased, then suddenly cupped a side of her head with her hand as she said that.

Ruby had to wonder why her mother did that, but quickly finished her breakfast as she saw it was close to the school bus coming for her and Diana. "Oh, man! We better hurry!"

Diana kissed her duck. "Aunty Dorothy... can you watch Quiver until we get back?" she asks gently.

"Of course, dear, I'd love to." Dorothy smiled. She loved Diana like another daughter.

Ruby quickly put their dishes in the sink and looked out the window, a bit frantically. She had a few minutes, but she felt rushed because of how close it was with all the fun they were having this morning with the animals. Diana kissed Dorothy's cheek. She handed Quiver over and ran out with Ruby so they wouldn't be late. Quiver quacked.

Dorothy smiled and held the little duckling in her hands. "I'm not sure if we can go grocery shopping together, but maybe if I kept you in my pocket."

Quiver flapped his wings as if to agree. Toto II even had a water bowl and lapped up some of the water in it.

Dorothy giggled. "All right, all right... I'll go get ready..." she gently set the duckling down on the floor so he could waddle around and went to get her coat, hat, gloves and purse.

Quiver waddled to play with Toto II. The pig pushed over a tug-of-war rope in front of the duckling. Quiver tried to peck the tug-of-war rope. Toto II picked at it too and tried to tug, but not too rough with the little duckling. Quiver looked mad as he tried to catch it. Toto II nearly lowly snorted, almost sounding like a dog.

Dorothy came back, ready to go and giggled again. "Why weren't farm animals this entertaining when I was almost a teenager?"

* * *

><p>"I hope we won't be late..." Ruby sounded like she was worrying too much, she wished she could be brave, strong and smart like her mother.<p>

"Don't worry we'll be fine!" Diana shouts as they ran.

Ruby and Diana got on the bus and they sat where they usually did. A lot of the other children were either sleeping, playing some games to pass time until they got to the schoolhouse, some were just quietly sitting, and some snobby girls were spreading rumors. Diana's hair was more messy than her usual curls from the running.

"Here, want help?" Ruby was brushing her own hair into a cute long braid like she usually would. She often wore it though in two cute pigtails for special occasions like church.

"Yes, please." Diana smiles. She loved doing hairstyles with Ruby.

Ruby smiled, then started to do her friend's hair so they would look their best for going to school.

"Too bad you guys can't look as pretty as me." a girl with beautiful blonde hair with a big pink bow in it looked down at them.

"Margaret, leave us alone..." Ruby said gently.

Diana looked at Margaret. "I wouldn't want to wear pink... it makes your skin look blotchy." she says.

Margaret huffed. "You're just jealous!" she then sat back down in her seat.

"Only Toto looks good in pink." Ruby remarked.

"Yeah, 'cuz he's a piggy." Diana says. She smiled though to show Ruby that she did like Toto II, but wanted to annoy Margaret.

Margaret shuddered a bit, having heard that. "Pigs are disgusting."

Ruby giggled at Diana as she took out a ribbon of the girl's favorite color and wrapped it to perfect the hair so they would look their best for their teacher. Diana smiled and hugged Ruby. Ruby smiled at her best friend. The bus picked up another student and kept driving. No one had seen him before though. Diana looked at the new person on the bus. She tilted her head curiously, like her duckling.

"I wonder who that is?" Ruby whispered.

"Who is that boy?" one of the other students noticed him.

The boy looked a bit shy and said nothing to his future peers and classmates.

Diana looked at Ruby. "Should we go say hi?" She whispers.

"Maybe when the bus stops before class starts." Ruby advised, she didn't want to move while the bus was in motion since they were told so many times to do so.

Diana nodded. She was curious about this new boy. Soon the bus arrived at the school.


	2. Chapter 2

When the bus came to a complete stop, everyone stood from their seats and filed out. Ruby went with Diana to follow the odd boy out as he seemed to be in a rush to leave the other classmates and seemed to be a bit really of an outsider other than being the new kid in school.

Diana moved quickly with Ruby. "Hey, wait a moment." she tells him.

The boy blinked and looked a bit scared.

"Hey, hey, don't be scared, we won't hurt you..." Ruby tried to soothe him.

Diana looked at him, a gentle look on her face. "I'm Diana, and this is Ruby... what's your name?" She asks gently.

The boy smiled at them softly and rubbed his arm. "My name's Leo..."

"Hi, Leo." Ruby smiled friendly to him.

"Are you okay?" Diana asks, smiling.

"Just scared..." Leo sighed. "I wanna go back home... But, I can't..."

"Why not?" She asks gently.

"Mom said we had to leave... 'Cuz of Dad..." Leo said softly, a little injured on the inside.

Ruby had a sympathetic look. "My dad's gone too..."

Diana gently hugged the boy. "I'm sorry." she says, sympathetic, but not pitying.

"It's okay, I guess... At least Dad won't hurt us anymore, I guess..." Leo said still softly.

"I hope you have Ms. Burke's class." Ruby said, trying to lighten the mood, she had that class with Diana, and Ms. Burke was a very great teacher, kind to all her students and very warm and nurturing.

"If so, you can sit next to us." Diana smiles softly.

"I'm not sure who my teacher is... Should we ask her?" Leo seemed to calm down a little now.

"Sure, just follow us." Ruby gestured, then walked down the hall to get to Ms. Burke's classroom, hoping she would be there for the day.

Diana walked too. She hoped the teacher was there too.

* * *

><p>Ms. Burke was indeed in her classroom. She had curly light red hair that almost matched her rose petal red lips and she wore a plain black dress, regardless of her dress, she was very beautiful. She even had everlasting ocean blue eyes that if anyone looked into them, could see waves splash. She was with another girl who had platinum blonde hair and Ms. Burke was getting the girl's hair back into a cute ponytail due to some rough boys taking the bow out and throwing it into a tree to tell her that her ribbon looked like a butterfly and wanted to see it 'fly'. Ruby knocked on the door.<p>

"Oh, just a moment!" Ms. Burke called, then continued to take care of the girl's hair. "There you go, Patricia... Now don't let those mean boys on the playground get you down."

Diana waited. She loved Ms. Burke, the best teacher ever. Patricia happily skipped outside the classroom to play a little longer until class would start.

"Come in." Ms. Burke allowed Leo, Ruby, and Diana in now.

"What if she doesn't like me...?" Leo shifted.

Diana took his hand. "She will... she's lovely." she says quietly.

* * *

><p>Ms. Burke looked to the girls and one boy. "Hello, girls, who is your new friend?"<p>

"His name is Leo." Ruby said gently.

Leo blinked at the woman, feeling calm around her and waved a tiny bit.

"He's a new pupil, ma'am." Diana smiles.

"Let's see..." Ms. Burke took out her papers and saw she indeed had a new boy joining the class. "Ah, yes, here it is. Leo Donaldson, welcome to our class. You like lions, Leo?"

The boy chuckled a little sheepishly. "Uh-huh... I wanna be brave like one someday."

"Oh, perhaps someday you will, courage is deep within you all along." Ms. Burke smiled, getting in touch with her inner child to soothe the boy.

Diana smiled. "Can he sit next to me and Ruby, ma'am?" She asks, politely and sweetly.

"Well, I see nothing wrong with that." Ms. Burke smiled approvingly.

Leo seemed to feel a bit better and didn't mind that his new best friends were girls, and it was dozens times better than no friends at all. He wasn't sexist himself, but a lot of boys tended to make fun of boys who were around girls all the time, especially if in dance classes with them.

Diana smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Burke." she says. She then proceeded to take Ruby and Leo to their desks.

Ms. Burke smiled at them, then got her papers organized and went to sit behind her desk as the bell rang, summoning in more students. Leo seemed to visibly jolt at the school bell. Diana patted his back gently.

"You okay?" Ruby whispered to Leo.

"Yeah... Sorry... I don't like noises like that..." Leo said shyly.

Ms. Burke smiled friendly at the students coming in, even to mean little Margaret who was sucking up with an apple. Diana smiled gently at Leo.

"What happened at your old school?" Ruby asked.

Leo still shifted, but felt very comfortable with the girls. "I was taught at home until now, actually."

"Well, I think it's kinda the same... Just more people." Diana soothes.

"Seems like it..." Leo sighed a little.

"Don't worry, stick with us." Ruby told him, using the motherly instinct she had with raising Toto II from a piglet to an older sow.

Diana smiled and looked ahead.

Ms. Burke gently tapped the board with her chalk as she had written her name on the board. "Good morning, class, my name is Ms. Burke, and the reason I say that is, is because I see we have a new student. Come forward, please, young man?"

Leo shyly left his desk and went to the front of the room to meet the other students. "H-Hello... M-My name is L-L-Leo Donaldson... I just moved here..."

Margaret looked bored with him already and rolled her eyes. Diana smiled encouragingly.

"Where are you from?" Ms. Burke asked him softly.

"Uhh... Hollywood, actually." Leo said shyly, but smiled to her.

A few of the other students were surprised and impressed with that. Diana looked impressed too.

"Have you ever met any movie stars?" a boy asked, raising his hand.

"Well, not face to face, honestly... But usually, once or twice a month, I could go see movies..." Leo said, shuffling his foot.

"That sounds exciting!" Ms. Burke chirped to keep the positive altitude in line.

Diana smiled encouragingly still.

"Do you have any hobbies that you would like to share with everyone?" Ms. Burke continued, letting everyone get to know their new friend better.

"Well... Never mind, it's stupid... I collect weird things..." Leo still felt uneasy.

Diana looked intrigued. She would've loved to know.

"Like what?" Ruby spoke up.

"Stamps and buttons..." Leo admitted softly.

Margaret snorted at that.

Diana scowled at Margaret. "Ignore her, it's a good hobby." she says.

"What kind of stamps do you have?" one girl asked.

"A lot... I can show you sometime..." Leo said shyly.

"That sounds like a great idea, we can have a little show and tell day and you bring your collections." Ms. Burke smiled, and clapped, allowing him to sit down. "Thank you, Leo, and welcome to our school."

Diana clapped quietly. Leo went back to sit among Ruby and Diana.

"As you all know, we have a writing assignment," Ms. Burke said, then looked to Leo. "We're going to make up stories or do one based on a true experience. Do you like to write, dear?"

"I'm not very good..." Leo said shyly.

"I'm sure you'll do fine... Can we look at a book for some inspiration, Ms. Burke?" Diana tells Leo, then asks Ms Burke.

"Library book?" Ms. Burke asked.

Leo smiled sheepishly at Diana.

"If that's okay." Ruby said to her teacher.

Diana nodded. She then smiled at Leo. She was happy to have made a friend with him too. A couple of students looked annoyed. If everyone was forced to read a book, that would be so annoying, extra work.

"We'll go to the library." Ms. Burke told them, then collected her keys, opening the door.

"_I'm_ the line leader!" Margaret rushed to the door to be the first one out and stuck her tongue out at Diana and Ruby.

"Just ignore her." Ruby advised Leo.

"Well, the last ones get more time." Diana says. She smiled at Leo.

Ms. Burke glanced at Margaret as the other students lined up. '_That little girl reminds me of my sister..._' she thought to herself softly.

* * *

><p>Ruby took Leo's hand gently and took him to the line with her and Diana to meet the other students. Diana was excited to go to the library. Ms. Burke smiled as the others were lined up and they quietly went to the library. Diana walked by her friends. One girl looked annoyed. Leo looked back at the annoyed girl, but kept walking.<p>

"I just love going to school." Ruby beamed quietly.

"Yeah, learning is fun." Diana agrees.

Ms. Burke smiled at their enthusiasm, and kept walking them to the library.

"I like to read about animals." Leo smiled.

"Maybe your story can be about jungle animals." Ruby suggested.

Diana nodded. "That would be good." she grins.

"Maybe..." Leo smiled a little calmly.


	3. Chapter 3

Ms. Burke happily allowed them into the library after the librarian allowed her to come.

"I think I'll go to fantasy..." Ruby looked at the many sections of the 'most magical place' in the school.

Diana nodded, already drifting over there. Ruby went with Diana to the fantasy section. Ms. Burke looked at them, then went to look around herself. There was somehow glowing in her bag where she kept the classroom keys and her lunch sack.

The teacher looked around the other students, then disappeared into a very dark part of the library where the horror novels were kept and reached into her purse. Diana smiled and found one about a far off land.

Ruby looked to Diana. "What book is that?"

"Hm..." Ruby grew curious of the book and sat with Diana to look at it.

Leo was absorbed in the book he was reading about lions, and tigers, and bears. Margaret was looking at book about princesses and wished she could be like them. Ms. Burke smiled as she came back to see the children, then an alarm blared and she looked out the window to see a funnel shape in the distance.

Diana started to read with Ruby. The girl gave a small yelp and threw the books in a nervous panic. Ruby and Diana were too engrossed by the book to pay attention to the outside world.

"Everyone, head back to the classroom!" Ms. Burke called before going with them out of the library.

Margaret nearly looked like she was about to cry as she was very scared, even more scared than Leo. The books hit the two girls. The first girl ran after the class. Ruby and Diana cried, then they were knocked out.

Ms. Burke rushed the students inside to go to a far distance from the windows to stay away. "I'm sorry this had to happen on your first day, Leo..." she said softly, then did a quick attendance for the other students. "Okay, looks like we're all..." she then gasped. "Where are Diana and Ruby!?"

"I think they were still in the library." a bored looking boy said.

"Oh, no!" Ms. Burke cried. She knew it was dangerous, but she went back to collect Ruby and Diana before they would get hurt.

* * *

><p>Diana felt as though they were falling through the pages. Ruby felt this too and even started to scream as they fell. Diana pulled Ruby into a hug. Ruby sniffled as they fell.<p>

Ms. Burke quickly came into the library and saw the book on the floor. She came to it, picked it up and flipped through the pages to see Diana and Ruby were going to be included into the story. She quickly asked one of the teaching assistants to look after her class, then took out her purse of what was glowing, it revealed to be a magic wand. "I knew that little Ruby was like her mother..." she then waved it, and made herself go into the book after the girls.

* * *

><p>Both girls landed in a big soft pile of pillows. Diana gasped and they rolled safely down to the ground.<p>

Ruby rubbed herself as she looked around. "Well, we're surely not in school anymore..."

Diana nodded, giggling. Little laughs could be heard. Ruby dusted her dress clean as she looked around to find the source of the laughter. Diana gasped happily. A small group of small people came over. They looked very sweet.

Ruby blinked at them and saw they were shorter than both her and Diana. "Who are you?" she asked, softly, and smiled delicately.

One of the smaller people whispered to another that Ruby looked like Dorothy, but how would they know her mother? Diana smiled sweetly.

"We are the lullaby league~" one girl chirps.

"The lullaby league..." the others sang with her.

Ruby smiled, really loving the song. They sang the same song they sung to Dorothy. They led them into the square though. Ruby and Diana walked into the square together, feeling very welcome, but still felt anxious about getting back to school and then home.

Diana looked around. She both wanted to go home, but didn't. The lollipop guild then also welcomed the girls. Ruby wanted some of the candy, but decided not to reach for it unless she were offered some. Diana listened, smiling sweetly. The girls smiled, then saw a pink bubble flying in, making the little people chatter something about a 'good witch'.

Diana looked at the bubble. "I want to pop it..." she whispers.

The bubble came to the girls and grew large in front of them.

"What if it's sticky?" Ruby asked, she thought the bubble looked like a ginormous bubblegum-type bubble.

"I don't care." Diana giggles.

Ruby allowed her friend to pop the bubble. Diana stuck a finger into the bubble. The lullaby league giggled.

The bubble popped and revealed the good witch in her crown, frilly gown, and wand. "Hello, Diana and Ruby..."

"Who are you?" Ruby suddenly had a bunch of questions. "How do you know our names? You look like our teacher."

Diana covered Ruby's mouth gently. "It is Ms. Burke..." she whispers, shocked.

"That's right, girls," the woman told them angelically. "I'm also Glinda, the Good Witch from the North."

"Our teacher is a witch...?" Ruby was shocked.

Diana blinked, surprised.

"It's a long story, girls, it started when Ruby's mother first came to Oz." Glinda explained.

Ruby looked around, were they in this place Oz? She heard stories about it from her mother, but thought they were just fairy tales she made up and she had a big imagination for her age.

"Oz..." Diana repeats, slowly.

"Ruby, your mother came to Oz when she was a bit older than you," Glinda explained as the little people sat to listen to the story most of them were there for. "There was a nasty tornado at her home farm with your Great-Aunt Em and your Great-Uncle Henry. She had missed them going for shelter and she quickly went to her bedroom with her little dog, Toto, and Dorothy was hit on the head. Em and Henry were in the shelter as the house was being blown away from Kansas and landed in this mysterious land we call the Wonderful World of Oz. Your mother had to defeat the one known as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, since the house had landed on The Witch of the East, Gingema, and your mother wore her ruby slippers."

Ruby beamed at the name of the shoes her mother used to wear. Diana smiled. This sounded great.

"But, no one realized there was another evil." one of the munchkins says.

"Another evil?" Ruby looked to said munchkin.

Diana looked too.

"Yes, an evil person has started to take over Oz... They're looking for the Flower Queen and Princess." he says.

"Oh, dear... Do you know where the Flower Queen and Princess are?" Ruby sounded concerned.

"We don't know either..." another munchkin said sadly.

Diana looked at Ms. Burke, or Glinda as she was known. The munchkin looked sad, worried too.

"I'm sure they're with us in spirit, but you girls must find them for us for the sake of our land." Glinda told them gently.

"What can we do?" Ruby moped. "We're only little girls!"

Diana nodded, agreeing with Ruby. The munchkin came out with two necklaces. Ruby and Diana stood as they were given the necklaces. Ruby had to wonder if it was like when her mother was given the slippers of the Eastern Witch in the past. Diana blinked.

The munchkin put the necklaces on them. "These should help." he says.

"We want you two to be protected by any sort of evil magic," Glinda added, advising the girls.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Ruby sounded worried about this journey.

"No, we have to stay here." the munchkin says, apologetically.

Diana looked between the good witch and the darling little people.

"Oh, be careful all of you..." Ruby hugged the munchkins near her.

"Find the Flower Queen and Princess before anyone else does, girls," Glinda told them gently. "Be careful who you talk to in the land of Oz, now run along, we can't waste anymore time."

Diana hugged them too. The munchkins set the girl off. Ruby went with Diana and started to go down the yellow brick road, being told to follow it, humming a little tune to herself.

"I know you two are smart and lovely girls... Good luck..." Glinda smiled, then disappeared into a bubble again and drifted away.

"Follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road~" Diana sings.

Ruby smiled, then sang with her. "We're off to find the Flower Queen and Princess, the Flower Queen and Princess of Oz!"

"We don't know how we'll do it, but we will not let them down~" Diana giggles.

"Because, because, because, becaaause, of all the wonderful things we does!" Ruby added, not caring it was improper grammar.

Diana laughed.


End file.
